ACI World extends its Airport Health Accreditation programme

Airports Council International (ACI) World has announced that it has extended its Airport Health Accreditation (ACA) programme, which assists airports in demonstrating to passengers, regulators and governments that they are prioritising health and safety in a measurable, established manner.

The programme is supported by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and, since it was launched in July 2020, more than 600 airports of all sizes have signed up to the programme. Accreditation is granted for 12 months and, as the first airports were accredited in August 2020, ACI has opened the programme for airports to be re-accredited for another 12 months.

The AHA programme has been updated in 2021 and remains aligned with the latest ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) Recommendations – and with the ACI Europe Guidelines for a Healthy Passenger Experience, which, in turn, are aligned with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)/ European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Aviation Health Safety Protocol – and industry best practices. The guidelines are also aligned with ACI’s own updated Aviation Business Restart and Recovery publication.

“ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation programme continues to provide invaluable support to airports around the world, enabling them to validate their own measures throughout their facilities and processes and reassure the travelling public,” said ACI World’s Director General, Luis Felipe de Oliveira. “The re-establishment of air travel will be a key driver for a global economic recovery but, to succeed, passengers must have confidence in the industry’s focus on health and welfare.”

“The Airport Health Accreditation programme has the support of ICAO and fosters this crucial passenger confidence through the harmonisation of health measures that have been introduced around the world, and small, medium and large airports around the world have signed up,” he added.

All passenger areas and processes are assessed through the programme, including terminal access; check-in areas; security screening; boarding gates; lounges; retail; food and beverages; gate equipment, such as boarding bridges, escalators and elevators; border control areas and facilities (in collaboration with authorities); baggage claim areas; and arrivals exits. 

Processes assessed include cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing, staff protection, physical layout, passenger communications and passenger facilities.